Aleksey Bobyliov is a talented photographer, who was born and raised in Chernihiv, the historic city in northern Ukraine. At the age of 17, Aleksey came to Kiev to study at the university. Aleksey started the career of photographer in the capital of Ukraine and today he’ll tell us about his brightest art projects and share his thoughts about photo art. It was a great pleasure for us to take an interview with Aleksey Bobyliov and we wish you a pleasant reading and viewing of Aleksey Bobyliov photography.

AP: Hi Aleksey, thank you for coming out. We are very happy to see you here and we hope you’ll enjoy our questions. Tell us about the first steps you made in photography. Could you please describe your first pictures taken by you?

Aleksey: Photography is a different story and a page in my life that, I think, will be lasting for a long time from now. Everything got started when I found an old Zenit ET photo camera. The camera was lying in the attic. I remember the time when I took out a film from the camera and lit it, as I was trying to show the film by myself.

AP: Good start, I think. And what happened next? Could you please tell our readers about your first shots taken with a digital camera?

Aleksey: In the spring of 2010, I realized that my passion for photography had raised up and it resulted in some interesting photos. At that moment I was able to buy a first single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. I had been collecting money for a long time to purchase it. The first shots were probably very usual: bugs, pets, relatives. As for the first photo projects, it was devoted to “Amélie” movie and its main heroine character played by Audrey Tautou . We tried as much as possible to take realistic pictures.

AP: Was there someone or something that influenced your work or inspired you?

Aleksey: Inspiration… I would call it a creative insight. It comes suddenly, when I talk with my friends, ride in the subway, listen to music, watch movies and etc. The biggest push for me was the fact that few people believed I could become a photographer :(. But…Now I think I’ve succeeded! 🙂

AP: We are glad you didn’t listen to public opinion regarding your vocation. Well done! As a result, there are many of your great pictures to admire. Let’s talk about your professional style. Do you like working in some specific genre? Or do you prefer genre experiments?

Aleksey: I can say the only one thing about genres… I enjoy taking pictures of people, their emotions and habits… I’ve always loved to look at people through the camera.

AP: And what are the best moments in the working process? How can you describe them?

Aleksey: Before a photosession, people seem to be constrained, modest and irresolute, and during the photosession they liberate emotions and start to behave as true top-models.

AP: That’s a reasonable discovery! Let’s discuss technical aspects of your job. What kind of equipment and techniques do you use?

Aleksey: At the moment I use Nikon D300. I also have various camera lenses, but Nikon AF 85mm f./1.8D is the favorite one. As for the software, like all photographers, I use photo processing products from Adobe (Photoshop and Lightroom).

AP: We know you’ve had interesting art projects. Can you tell us about ‘Funny Tutti Frutti’ project? Was it challenging to organize it? Were there any difficulties while preparing for it?

Aleksey: First thought to organize ‘Funny Tutti Frutti’ project appeared after watching the ads with fruits. There was a girl who was eagerly eating an orange. Later I saw some ‘fruit photos’ by Cristina Otero. Thus the idea to take funny fruit pictures was born. I had a difficulty in selecting models and finding an appropriate studio, and, indeed, the day of shooting seemed to be difficult … The shooting itelf lasted for 10 hours.

AP: I guess it was worth it. And what are your plans for future? Are there any upcoming projects or events?

Aleksey: I am about to run a casting of models who will participate in the upcoming paint and chocolate photosessions. And, of course, I will constantly work on my self-improvment!

AP: Could you please give a piece of advice for those who are trying to discover their talent and cultivate it?

Aleksey: Everyone comes to creativity in different ways. However, the most essential thing is not to give up and develop your talent.

AP: Would you like to wish something to AstrumPeople readers?

Aleksey: I wish all people visit exhibitions and galleries frequently 🙂

Aleksey thank you very much for spending a time with us, giving us the interview and we’d like to thank you for sharing such interesting experience and thoughts about photography. We are sure your readers will find them useful. We wish you constant development, great shots and of course continued inspiration. To learn more about Aleksey Bobyliov photography please visit his Facebook page.